One of the internet’s worst-kept secrets is that many of the social media pages, blogs, entertainment brands, and meme accounts that market themselves as being part of Black culture are not actually run by Black people.
For years, millions of Black users have followed Instagram pages, Facebook accounts, TikTok profiles, Twitter/X accounts, and entertainment websites believing they were supporting Black voices. In reality, many of these pages are operated by people who have little connection to the communities they profit from. Some are run by marketing agencies. Others are operated by individuals overseas. Some are owned by large media companies that simply discovered that Black culture generates engagement and advertising revenue.
This isn’t a new phenomenon. Black culture has always been one of America’s most influential exports. Music, fashion, slang, hairstyles, dances, humor, and social commentary created within Black communities routinely become mainstream trends. The internet simply accelerated the process. What once took years now takes days. A joke made by a Black creator on Monday can be reposted by a large account on Tuesday and become viral content by Wednesday.
The problem is that the people creating the culture are often not the people benefiting from it.
Many large “Black culture” pages have built massive audiences by reposting Black content creators without providing meaningful credit, compensation, or visibility. Users see Black faces in the videos and assume the page itself is Black-owned. Often, there is no easy way to know who is actually behind the account. The branding is intentionally vague. The profile picture might be a Black celebrity. The content might exclusively feature Black people. The captions might use African American Vernacular English (AAVE). Everything is designed to create the impression of authenticity.
The same issue extends beyond social media. Numerous entertainment websites and blogs that cover Black celebrity news, relationships, trends, and community issues are operated by people who are not Black at all. While there is nothing inherently wrong with reporting on Black culture, it becomes problematic when outsiders build businesses around Black experiences while Black writers, journalists, and creators struggle for resources and visibility.
What makes the situation even more complicated is that many consumers never ask who owns the platform they’re supporting. We often focus on the content itself without questioning who is collecting the advertising dollars, sponsorship revenue, affiliate income, and brand partnerships generated by our clicks, shares, comments, and views.
This isn’t about gatekeeping. Nobody owns culture in a way that prevents others from appreciating it. However, there is a meaningful difference between appreciation and extraction. Appreciation acknowledges the source and supports the community responsible for creating the culture. Extraction takes from the culture while giving little or nothing back.
As social media continues to evolve, Black audiences may want to become more intentional about supporting Black-owned media outlets, creators, websites, and platforms. A simple look at an account’s ownership, leadership, or editorial team can often reveal who is actually benefiting from the attention.
Black culture remains one of the most powerful forces on the internet. The question is whether the people creating that culture are also receiving the economic opportunities that come with it. In many cases, the answer is still no.
Until consumers start paying attention to who owns the platforms they support, many of the biggest pages built around Black culture will continue to be run by people who merely recognize its value rather than those who actually live it.
